It isn’t always obvious when it’s time to apply for disability. If you have chronic pain, if you have relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, if you’re having a hard time remembering the simple tasks that your work requires, you may wonder if it’s time.
But how do you know?
Two recent cases made me ponder that question.
The first was that of a hard-working former CNA, who after two decades of caring for other people, realized that she was having a hard time remembering when to give them their medication. She also suffered from chronic pain in her hip, as the result of an old injury from lifting a patient. She dropped from full-time to part-time work but she wasn’t ready to apply for disability. But when her doctor saw signs of early dementia in cognitive tests he gave her, he told her it was time. She applied, was denied, and when we went to hearing, she was immediately approved.
The second is that of a young man in his thirties. He has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the symptoms are causing him to lose every job he has, but only after about a year. He is struggling to remain a working person. When he came to me, still working, we talked a long time about his hopes and plans. It became clear after our conversation that it wasn’t time yet. If the symptoms of multiple sclerosis worsen, he will have no choice. But for now, staying in the work world was the right decision for him.
If you wonder, talk about it with friends, family and above all, your lawyer. Your lawyer can tell you what it takes to win and when a better choice is to keep working.